Historical Medieval Festivals
Tell about your favorite Historical Medieval Festival :)
When? Where? How it was?
Summer 2011 in tirol. it was the "timetravel ehrenberg".
it was the biggest where i was until now, with ~2000 participants, and also site and scenery are great. its directly under the ruins of the historical castles and a barbicane, that blocked the valley in medieval times. Each year they restage the battle that took place on the same spot somewhen in the 1530ies between catholics and protestants (i think the lord of ehrenberg wanted to switch to lutherian, which his catholic brother wanted to forcibly prevent)
strange thing although is, that in this battle all the reenactors participate, so blue-painted celts are fighting next colourfully dressed landsknechts and knights in shining gothic plate...which is quite a weird look.
maybe i just liked it, because i had a certain girl with me on that occasion :lol:

a painting of the historical site and some years later (when it was reenfored vs. the protestant swabians)
how it looks now, the castle from above and the valley-closing from inside and outside, with typical early 16th cent. sloped walls and gunports
Nor really medieval, but my wife and I greatly enjoy Scarborough Faire here in Texas. The first time I went, years ago, I went in plain street clothes. I walked out in a kilt with a Scottish broadsword hung off my hip. It was the most fun I've ever had. When you buy your ticket and take that first step through the gate......you go to another time and place. I forgot about my job, my worries, and anything in my life. There was only me..my wife..and the sights and smells of another age. After about an hour, we went to a costume shop. We were wearing t-shirts and jeans....and came out in 100% period costume. I won't comment on the dollar amount we spent. Was it worth it? HELL YES. We have been hooked ever since. It's more addictive than crystal meth. If you've never eaten a turkey leg skewered on the end of a sword while watching a jousting match....you haven't lived. And did I mention the endless tankards of MEAD... :D Go forth, and fest, feast, and frolic! .......McM
Guys, amazing stories!)
As for me, such festivals is something unreal, like another world! :D
I don't know, maybe you herd smth about http://battleofthenations.ua/ ?)
https://www.facebook.com/HMBMovement?hc_location=stream - they organise HMB World Championship "Battle of the Nations".
This year there were 23 National teams: USA, Germany, Luxembourg(My team))), Quebec, Russia, Poland, Ukraine,France, Austria, Japan, Australia.... Countries from 5 continens.
I can't describe that atmosphere. You should watch it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0D9SRked5Y :D


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medieval festivals
I had a great time attending (sadly not participating in) the 2012 Bitwa pod Grunwaldem event. A solid week of tournies, entertainments, and displays that culminated in the largest medieval battle re-enactment I have ever seen (I was told there were about 5000 total participants, with about 30 cavalry--and this was a fraction of the size of the 2010 event). There was also a 'sutlers' row' that was to die for!
Mark Moore wrote:
Nor really medieval, but my wife and I greatly enjoy Scarborough Faire here in Texas. The first time I went, years ago, I went in plain street clothes. I walked out in a kilt with a Scottish broadsword hung off my hip. It was the most fun I've ever had. When you buy your ticket and take that first step through the gate......you go to another time and place. I forgot about my job, my worries, and anything in my life. There was only me..my wife..and the sights and smells of another age. After about an hour, we went to a costume shop. We were wearing t-shirts and jeans....and came out in 100% period costume. I won't comment on the dollar amount we spent. Was it worth it? HELL YES. We have been hooked ever since. It's more addictive than crystal meth. If you've never eaten a turkey leg skewered on the end of a sword while watching a jousting match....you haven't lived. And did I mention the endless tankards of MEAD... :D Go forth, and fest, feast, and frolic! .......McM

I live in the area and attend Scarborough each season, usually 3 or 4 times, to visit with friends and try out new costumes. I wouldn't say that it makes me "go to another time and place" since most people's costumes are so inaccurate and anachronistic that they don't represent any particular time, real or fictional. I don't mind people's inaccuracy so long as they aren't claiming to be historical (which some do), or worse, trying to criticize the accurate aspects of my costumes because they don't match their faulty historical understanding.

I do think the experience would be improved if people were accurate, and stuck reasonably close to the given theme -- early Tudor England and its immediate environment. It would be more immersive and aesthetically consistent if everyone were contributing toward building the same shared experience around a single theme, instead of doing their own increasingly incongruous things (steampunk, anime, etc). However, I've long since given up trying to convince people of that, and sometimes go well outside the period myself. When this "Renaissance" fair includes, as part of its cast, 12thc crusaders, 18thc pirates, and 19thc Scots, it's less of a historical event than a generic social one.
Well, we must have done something right. We had plain clothed people taking photos of us. It's all about having fun.......and fun we have! :D .........McM
Sadly I have only been to the small local one we have in the town I live in. There are very few people with any historical accuracy. The jousting company there isn't too bad, and we had a SCA cut and thrust group one time that made an attempt to be historical, but it's mostly fantasy barbarians, wizards and pirates. Last time I was introduced to "Diesel Punk" when I asked a young woman what was with her WW1 Doughboy/Elf outfit. I thought Steampunk and Cyberpunk were about it for the punk stuff...

Still, I like to look at the Hanwei and Windlass the vendors have, but at two to three times the price Kult of Athena is selling them for, I end up buying some cheap knife or some such instead. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon I suppose. It is the first and only place where I have been able to talk to people in person about historical Western martial arts, mention the big names, makers, etc, and actually have people know what I am talking about, or in the case of some, know more than I do. (I wish that SCA cut and thrust group attended more than once...)
Sandra Meyer wrote:

I don't know, maybe you herd smth about http://battleofthenations.ua/ ?)


watched on youtube, but never went there. as i wouldnt fit there as an active participant, how is it for non-combatants ?
can you camp and live there and have a good time even if you are not on the rolls ?
are there sutler rows...bands...dances.. ? on the videos one mostly sees the fights
Mark Moore wrote:
Well, we must have done something right. We had plain clothed people taking photos of us. It's all about having fun.......and fun we have! :D .........McM

As with anything, it's what you make of it. I have fun too, but I'd have more fun if people actually stuck with a single, unifying theme. That way, everyone could get in character using the same narrative background, and make the whole experience more integrated. With different groups of people doing different, unrelated themes, there's a tendency for the scene to become clique-ish.
Yes!) It's possible!)
Before the festival i think they will open online registration on official site as it was last year.
Non-combatants have a good time too! Especially this year, it will be anniversary.So, I'm waiting for something incredible! Last year i saw there 3 or 4 bands, dances, fireshow, "Gruppo di Rievocazione Medievale" and a lot of other interesting things! You can come with your historical tent and live with a team. ;)

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